Home ›
How to setup a Linksys router with Verizon FIOSHow to setup a Linksys router with Verizon FIOS
Submitted by dhakimzadeh on December 2, 2007 - 1:30pm
So you just got Verizon FIOS installed and are starting to realize that the ActionTec MI424-WR modem/wifi router that they gave you is a piece of junk...(unless of course you want to go back to the stone age and use an ethernet cord!!) Don't worry, there's hope. You can disable the router features and hook up your trusty old linksys, just use the instructions below.
!!WARNING:Following these instructions will disable your Verizon TV service features, such as On-Demand.
(original post/ resource here )
Why make the MI424-WR a bridge?
- New FiOS installations now connect you using the MoCA system from the ONT, not ethernet, thus preventing you from directly connecting a router of your choice to the ONT (some of you may say that the ethernet jack at the ONT is still there and you could run an ethernet cable to it, but it will NOT work because the ONT was not configured for ethernet connectivity during initial install by verizon)
- As part of the new FiOS installations, you are given an ActionTec MI424-WR router
- The MI424-WR is a pretty decent router (is powerful, has lots of features, and is quite flexible), however the major issue with it at the moment is the puny NAT table (only 1kb in size). The NAT table is easily overflowed just by running a single bittorrent or in some cases, playing games. When the NAT table is overflowed, you will get the "No IP for NAT - connections may fail" error logged in your MI424-WR's security log. During this time, you will unable to browse, ping, or connect to anything until you wait about 3 minutes. This problem seems to be widespread with this router, regardless of which firmware release is used. No one has been able to produce a workaround for this issue and neither Actiontec or Verizon has acknowledged this issue officially. This problem makes your FiOS connection next to useless. While your overall throughput may drop when using a store bought consumer grade router, your actual usability may increase. I personally would take this trade off over NAT errors any day
- Instead of paying at least $100 to fix something that's not your fault (buying a MoCA to ethernet bridge), make the MI424-WR as a bridge and use a router of your choice!
Resolution
This is what you will need to do:
<
ol>
The only way to access the MI424-WR after this setup is to directly connect a computer to it (via ethernet) and using a static 192.168.1.* IP address. It will no longer DHCP an IP to you. You will also notice that the "Internet" light (may look like a map globe) on the router will now be lit orange and blink red. This is normal. The MI424-WR control panel will also perpetually say you're not connected to the internet. That too is normal.
You will know everything is working when you see your new router getting an IP from verizon.
Searched words:
linksys wrt54g verizon fios actiontec actiontech ActionTec MI424-WR setup how to network bridge
Comments
Thank you! Intrestingly, I
Thank you! Intrestingly, I followed the instructions exactly (I think) -- and was unable to get an Internet connection via my Linksys router.
Went back and undid the changes you listed, verified that my 'Net connection was restored. Just for fun, I then checked -- my Linksys router is routing. Am I missing something? Thank you again.
Thanks
The install was a breeze, honestly I expected more of a fight from Verizon's hardware. Cheers!
Not related to the installation described here....
But is Dan the Danny Hakimzadeh I once knew from Istanbul?
Great Tutorial..BUT...
Thank for posting this- this is exactly what I was looking for and, for internet, this worked great. However, it messed up my Fios TV DVR box. I didn't see the correlation, but I kept getting 'Cannot connect to server. Please try again later" messages whenever I tried to do a lot of things on the DVR. Eventually the box crashed and when it returned all my listings were gone. I called tech support and they said that the TV box needs the router to get the information from the Verizon server.
I don't know how these boxes work if you don't have the internet package. Maybe they install the router too? I will probably not figure out how to get the DVR box working with a different router. I already cancelled my Fios TV package because I hate the DVR box anyway, and this is just the icing on the cake. In a week I convert over to DirecTV's HD DVR box.
But I thought anyone who is following this tutorial should be aware of this issue.
The problem here...
There's two basic problems with doing this, from what I can understand...
The first problem, as mentioned in the instructions, is that you can't get to the Verizon router's control panel after doing this, because the router is on the other side of your firewall, acting as the ethernet bridge. You can solve that by using another ethernet cable to link one of the router's downstream ports to the Verizon router...
The other problem is that the Verizon router doesn't have the information it needs to contact the internet on its own - only a local net IP, no gateway, no DNS, no route to get out - so if set-top boxes use the Verizon router for extra information, they won't be able to get it. I was trying to think up a solution to this - perhaps using the Verizon router's upstream Ethernet port to connect back to the router that's doing the NAT - negotiate with DHCP, and so on - but I haven't been able to make that work out...
I wish I'd just got them to run ethernet instead of coax...
it didnt work for me n i
it didnt work for me n i have been trying every thing. i called fios n i was on the phone with those retards for 2 hours the i was on the phone with linksys for freakin 3 hours. n now i cant return the dam thing wtf!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!11111
What if I WANT wifi capability?
Dan, I have the same router using that particular device for my fios connection for my business internet access. I took the Verizon router out of the loop completley so as to comply with the setup my software supplier wants as far as tech support. I know it's a simple question, but I have very little understanding about routers. My goal is to have a wireless connection to tap into to enjoy T Mobiles' "hotspot @ home" feature.
If it will work, will leaving the wireless feature on leave my business open to hacker attacks from wireless users in the area?
Thanks for the 411 in advance.
Grump, Florist Grump
Can't have it all
I was able to bridge the ActionTec (which is COAX connected to the ONT) to my Asus WL-500g (running x-wrt) and my PCs could all hit the internet through their existing WLAN. Unfortunately, the bridge did break the set top box network so video on demand and the widgets died (maybe other functionality as well, I didn't play with the DVRs too much). I reverted back by releasing the DHCP IP from the ASUS, then walking backwards through the instructions. This makes me sad because the performance of the ASUS is fantastic.
Thanks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Our internet connection kept dropping every hour. We had to turn off the router every time.
Verizon COULDN'T FIGURE OUT what the problem was.
They sent technicians, ran tests, etc. It TOOK them over a week and they ended up saying it's ONE of our PCs.
I followed your instructions (they are so easy by the way) and VOILA!!!!!! Problem solved!
Their MI424-WR SUCKS!!!
Thanks again man!!!
You know your stuff.
Thanks!
Art
Does this work around using Linksys affect Verizon VoIP?
Hi,
I'm about to get Verizon's voice and internet 'bundle' installed in 5 days. I was wondering:
Do you know if your work around using a Linksys Router adversely affect the voice service? I read your post and understand that it would affect the TV service (which I won't be purchasing). I would think it WOULD affect the phone service, but I was hoping that you knew of a work around for that also. Thanks!
Leo
Not sure about that... I
Not sure about that... I have no way to test it... please lemme know if/when you find out
It does in fact affect phone
It does in fact affect phone service. Once I bridged the fios router to my cisco vpn router my phones stopped working.
Now to figure out how to bridge and also keep the phones up and working. :(
This works with the ethernet connection too
I've had fios for about a year now. Last summer, I disabled the wireless on the actiontec, and setup my WRT54G V5 as a wireless bridge. It's worked pretty well, but the actiontec can't handle torrent traffic.
I guess I was a lucky, and managed to have only an ethernet connection from the ONT.
I followed everything UP to step 7, except I did it for the "Broadband Connection (ethernet)" connection, instead of coax. I skipped steps 8 and above.
After that, I plugged the ethernet from ONT into the WAN on the linksys. Then I turned off the actiontec, reset the linksys, and setup the linksys how I wanted it (changing the default IP address from 192.168.1.1, to 192.168.1.2). Then I plugged an ethernet cable from LAN 1 on the linksys to LAN 1 on the actiontec, and turned the actiontec back on. I was able to connect to it and view all the settings. It warned me on the front page that Coax and Ethernet connections were disconnected, but I ignored that.
Then I unplugged the power to the cable boxes for about a minute, and plugged them back in. On-demand and on-screen guide work fine. The coax connections show up in the "My Network" section on the actiontec.
So, now I've got my WRT54G controlling everything, and the actiontec acts as a bridge for the coax connection. Works great.
I like it... Bridging the
I like it...
Bridging the routers seems like the best option if you want to add better wireless and still keep your Verizon TV features... I am gonna look into this.
Great Comment!
THis works with ethernet connection too
Did anyone try this procedure? Does it work....would like to reconfig my two routers and keep the "on demand" features.
I am wondering if it's
I am wondering if it's possible to do something similar without ethernet from the ONT.
My goal is to keep the on demand / guide features, leverage my wireless linksys device running openwrt as the primary router, and run a web server off that router. After disabling the firewall and wireless on the actiontec and enabling some port forwarding rules, everything works fine with the exception of my web server.
Any ideas?
I have the same equipment
I have the same equipment (linksys and actiontec) in this article but I went about it differently.
First - I turned off the wireless feature on the actiontec
Second - I used a static ip address for the linksys router - 192.168.2.1
Everything now connects to a different subnet while the actiontec only knows of a connection from the linksys router
I have no interruption to any of my services for a year now from either the tv or the internet
I would post the instructions on how I did it but its been a year now and i doubt I'll be able to recall
so if you want to use your favorite router - create and use a subnet
static IP
This looks like what I need. Any idea if it will be a problem with my business static IP?
Using the Bridging method is
Using the Bridging method is probably the best way to go to ensure no breaks in your regular services, like OnDemand or static IPs. When I have some free time, I'll post the step-by-step for that method too
Details
So I got the actiontec modem/router setup as a bridge with the directions above......but now what? You kinda drop off about how then to connect the linksys(or whatever brand) router to the actiontec after the bridge is set on the actiontec. Any settings in the router we need to change and look for?
It's about 75% done, and now you've lost me.
Do I plug into the 1 lan on the AT then to the WAN port on the router, or the 2 lan port to the 1 lan port on the router? Act like I'm retarded and I have no clue how a bridge to router work.....explain.
If the router you want to
If the router you want to bridge is wireless, your linksys or whatever it is, you shouldn't even need a wired connection. If the router has been set to 'bridged mode correctly, you'll only have only one network visible in your wireless networks, and the second (or many) will talk to your crappy verizon router...
Regardless of this, I will go to my friends house later and bridge the routers there and post some info on the process, as I don't have Verizon and hopefully never will....
OK, this is how I did it tonight...
First, I reset the Actiontec router to the default verizon settings, as if they had just installed it, then I accessed that and shut off the wireless feature.
Then I plugged an ethernet cord into port 1 and plugged the other end of that into port 1 of my wrt54g. (not wan, not uplink)
I then accessed the linksys settings, changed the IP to 192.168.1.2, disabled the dhcp server,
and voila, the linksys is bridged to the actiontec! all the directtv features like on demand will still work and you can setup your wireless however you like on your trusty linksys
remember, do it the agaric way...
How did you change the settings?
I have a belkin n wireless router. I disabled my wireless on my actiontec router and connected an ethernet cable from port 1 to port 1 of my belkin wireless n. I plugged in a cable from my belkin to my computer and try to change the ip like you said so I can enable WEP. I can't do that! please help me
I tried this method, works.....but very slow.
So today I picked up a Netgear N600. I followed the steps in this comment and it works, I have wifi available but it is very slow. I did numerous speedtest and they all came back between 4-6 Mbps download over the wireless, but wired directly my 25/25 Fios hits 33mbps. The still lags like with the actiontec but using the router. I don't what to do to improve the speed. Any help greatly appreciated.
Nice nice!
Didn't get it first try..
After about another hour of troubleshooting I got this up and running and it's working very nice..
One thing to note, however, when you click on the "Network (Home/Office) in the FiOS GUI, be sure to turn off the DHCP server.. My first attempt resulted in a battle against two routers fighting for DHCP addresses.
So i disabled it -> Unplugged the power from both routers -> Plugged in an ethernet cable into the WAN port on the linksys router and port number 1 on the FiOS router -> Powered up the linksys first ->Then the FiOS router and I waited about 2 mins before I plugged my client machine in...
I suppose the wait is what did it.. Because now my Linksys router has an external IP from verizon.
OH NO!! As i'm typing this, my wife is complaining that her laptop is timing out again wirelessly... Hrm.. It seems to be bridged correctly.. Wonder if it's still using the NAT tables on the old router? Any thoughts?
The actiontec should be the
The actiontec should be the router with dhcp server
the secondary should not, only wifi on that one...
Using Linksys WRT100 Range Plus router with FIOS
HI, I have a Actiontec Router for FIOS, but it is connected via Ethernet , not Coax. It is not clear to me why I cant just replace my Actiontec with my Linksys router (I have seen other threads about cloning MAC addresses etc, but am not sure why I need to do that).
Can you help me to understand how I might replace the Actiontec completely instead of bridging as above.
Dave
Had a normal DSL connection,
Had a normal DSL connection, with a T-Mobile/Linksys router downstream, on which I had a NAT and another VOIP etc. When I switched to Verizon FIOS, the installation came with their router. I thought that plugging the Linksys into the Verizon router would be fine. I had a lot of problems, specially with the NAT which I could not access anymore. After some searches on the net, I called Verizon and asked them to activate the Ethernet port on the fiber modem. they did. I plugged the Linksys, and did not have a problem since. Keep your Linksys firmware up to date.
Good luck.
This is a very important
This is a very important thread.
I just got FIOS set up. I hate the DVR; it's so loud and never truly powers down. I didn't really want it but it lowered the price for the 1st year.
I've find I can't network into the home lan from outside via UltraVNC. Probably because of the damn ActionTec. How about just a MODEM Verizon...!? I already have a D-Link 655 so when I got home from vacation I'll probably try to establish a subnet.
I'l d like to have 2 PCs use wireless and have main PC for BT traffic. It'd be nice to just connect the main PC via the Actiontec but if it can't handle BT, what a surprise.......I have 20/20 bandwidth too : (
DC
I don't know whether I have
I don't know whether I have a slightly newer revision or not (Rev D), but I had to turn the auto config option off in the "Broadband Connection (Coax)" settings in order to be able to turn the "private" option on. I also had to turn off the DNS and DHCP services under the "Network (Home/Office)" settings while turning the STP option on for the "Broadband Connection (Coax)" bridge.
I am using a load balancing dual router with 2 WAN ports for this purpose (Syswan SW24 VPN router). It took a very long time (hour?) for the connectivity to be established with the Verizon server, it could be the Syswan router. Perhaps, it is because I plugged the Verizon FIOS router's LAN1 port to the WAN2 of my dual router. But the result is a success, at least for now. I connected a 1gig switch for all my computers and a wireless router and voip modem to the Syswan router. The data transfer rates are as expected.
Success without MI424-WR acting as bridge
I've been messing around with this for awhile. My FIOS service is relatively new.... June 08
Originally I tried a non-WRT54G Linksys router and was able to directly connect it to FiOS and pick up an IP via DHCP so long as I cloned the MAC of the MI424-WR.
However, the linksys router I was using was one from work and when I tried my personal one, (WRT54G), I couldn't get it to obtain an IP address no matter what even with MAC cloning enabled!
I ran into your article above and what caught my attention was your statement to 'release' the IP address on the MI424-WR prior to connecting the WRT54G. I did that and then immediately disconnected the 'Ethernet' WAN connection from the MI424-WR and connected it to my (powered down) WRT54G. I powered up the WRT54G and presto, it picked up an IP address and all is 'right with the world' :-)
Cheers
Connecting Linksys Router to FIOS
I found a simplier way to use the Linksys router with FIOS. My main concern was that the Linksys was already set up the way I wanted it. I really wanted the Linksys acting mainly as a wireless access point. Anyway, here's Linksys's suggestion:
Hi... 1st plug a PC directly to the Linksys router alone. Then on this particular PC... open up internet explorer (it's ok if it says "page could not be displayed"... and type on the address bar just the following numbers: 192.168.1.1 (username just leave it blank, password as a default is admin)...
This process should bring you to a Linksys page... look for something labeled as the "Local IP Address" or the LAN IP Address... if the value is 192.168.1.1.. change this to 192.168.5.1... then save the settings... (page would not be displayed after this.. again that's ok).....
Then go to the DOS prompt (start---run---type in cmd) .... and type the command ipconfig/release (hit enter)... and then ipconfig/renew (hit enter).....
Next connect the Actiontech router to the internet/WAN port of the Linksys router. Then do a powercycle. That is turn off all of the devices... router - modem and PC's.. then turn them on in the order of modem--routers-and PC's.......
After this process, you should now hopefully be online on the PC connected to the Linksys router.......
I tried this and it worked like a charm. The best part is that it should not cause a problem with FIOS's on demand. The key is that you are changing the Linksys's IP to one that is not within the normal DHCP table for FIOS's router. That avoids a conflict. Don't forget to do an ipconfig/release ipconfig/renew from the command line of each machine connected to the Linksys.
Apple Airport Extreme
I take it this would work with just about any router you have? I'm using an Apple Airport Extreme, and I am going to go this way (I would go ahead and do it now but the NFL Sunday night game).
I've also heard of another workaround if you are connected via coax, quoted from a Mac forum:
"It's really easy, just call up Verizon and ask the data connection to be switched from coax to ethernet, since the ethernet port isn't activated at the moment. They'll tell you that you'll lose video on demand and the guide blah blah blah and just tell them you know that. Once the data connection has been switched, just run an ethernet cable from the ONT outside to your airport extreme and hook it up to the WAN port on it. To get VOD and the guide for your set top boxes, just leave the coax connection connected to the actiontec router, and hook an ethernet cable from the WAN port on the actiontec to a LAN port on the airport extreme. You shouldn't have to change any settings on the actiontec. Then everything should be working and you don't have to deal with that stupid router anymore. Hope this helps."
http://forums.macnn.com/92/networking/373479/airport-extreme-with-fios/
The only issue is (for people not handy like myself) snaking a CAT5e cable (ethernet cable) from the ONT box outside my house to the Actiontec seems a bit daunting. I don't know how to do it nor do I think I have a drill or whatever you need to make a hole through my outside wall.
I am having the same problem
I am having the same problem you are having. My Verizon Router does not broadcast as far as my previous Router. I like to use my laptop in the basement while watching tv. Verizon Router is real weak two floor below. Which Linksys's Router did you buy?
Random losses Internet conectivity
I have successfully set up bridging with my Linksys WRT54GS running dd-wrt but will lose connectivity to the internet ever 2 mins or so during heavy traffic. After about 15 secs of downtime it will start to work again. Any idea of why this might be happening?
Also, I read a comment about the Actiontech router being the DHCP server. Wouldn't this cause my linksys router to pick up a DHCP address from it instead of Verizon's DHCP servers?
Upgrade your firmware on
Upgrade your firmware on actiontec! The original firmware is buggy and it does that especially on wireless.
On demand
Is there anyway to get the on demand menu back. I dont have any issues with anything other then this currently. Have coax to the ONT then a ethernet from LAN1 on actiontec to WAN on router (dlink dir 655).
Suggestions welcome.
DNS Failed
I was able to set up my Linksys router and the Actiontec router as a bridge by disabling the wireless settings on the Actiontec and connecting the 2 devices LAN of the Linksys to the WAN of the Actiontec. All worked fine, almost! I tried remote DVR from the Internet and it could not find my DVR. When I ran the self diagnosis test on the DVR I got a "DNS Failed" error.
On Demand, Internet, Guide, all Work Great. Remote DVR cannot find Box, bridge???
Any Ideas?
Thanks
On The Edge
WiFi stopped working
The WiFi stopped working on the FIOS Actiontec MI424WR modem. How can I connect a seperate router and use it for WiFi ? Thanks
Use these directions
This guide lets you run OnDemand, widgets etc and still use a 3rd party router alongside the Actiontec. Everything should work fine with this method, except for RemoteDVR, which people are still trying to find a solution to as far as I have read.
Set up your wires in the following way:
Coax in the Actiontec, Actiontec:Ethernet connection1:RJ45 -> 2ND Router Internet Port(WAN Connection)-> 2ND Router:Ethernet port 1:RJ45 -> Actiontec:WAN (Internet)ethernet port.(Sounds redundant but your second router is the new DHCP and the actiontec uses that dhcp to give itself an internal ip and provide internet for your STB's
One computer plugged directly into your actiontect ethernet port 2
Steps:
1) There are two different ways to do this.
a) login to your router user the admin/password1 provided. Select The Advanced icon on the top row.Select restore defaults on the left side. Select yes and apply.After it reboots you should be ready.
b) Press and hold the reset button on the back of your router for 15 seconds. After it reboots you should be ready.
2) connect to your router and put in your new password.
3) click on My Network on the top. Then click on Network connections on the left side.
4) Click on Broadband Connection (Coax) -> Then click on Settings
5) Under DHCP Lease, select RELEASE, Then immediately after select No IP Address under Internet protocol.
6) Select Apply.
7) click on My Network on the top. Then click on Network connections on the left side.
8) Select Home Network -> The select Settings.
9) Under Bridge Section, Check the Broadband Connection(Coax) box and Check the STP Box on the right as well.
10) Uncheck the Coax and Wireless Connections and associated STP boxes.
11) Disable the DHCP Server under IP Distribution.
12) Click Apply and Click Apply again.
13) click on My Network on the top. Then click on Network connections on the left side.
14) Click Add at the bottom right.
15) Select Network Bridge -> Next -> Select Add a New bridge -> Next -> Check Broadband Ethernet and Coax. Uncheck Wireless. -> Click Next.
16) Check Edit the Newly Created Connection and click on Finish
17) Change DNS Server to Obtain DNS Server Address Automatically
18)Under IP Distribution select DHCP Relay
19) click apply
20) click on My Network on the top. Then click on Network connections on the left side.
21) Click on Advanced button at the bottom.
22) Click on the Edit button to the right of Broadband Connection (Ethernet)
23) click on Enable
24) click on apply
25)click on Wireless icon at the top
26)Select Basic Security Settings and turn Wireless OFF.
27) click apply.
28) Click on Firewall Settings -> Click Yes -> Select Minimal Settings -> Click apply -> select yes
29) restart your 2ND router and then restart your STB's and check your VOD's and widgets!
Hope you find this well!!
Guide was written by Yubin from DSLReports.
Internet and TV worked, but on the STB no Guide and VOD
Thanks it worked, but my STB lost its Guide and Widgets. I don't really care about VOD since I never use it. My only concern are my Widgets and Guide.
I skipped the step 17 and 18 because I could not see it. At step 16, after I clicked Finish, I did not see the option about DNS and DHCP.
Can you please help me?
My actiontec firmware is 4.0.16.1.56.0.10.11.6
here is the screenshot http://i337.photobucket.com/albums/n395/123456iambelial/vrzn.jpg
Thanks
It worked !!! VOD's and widgets !
Thanks dieburnbot and Yubin from DSLReports!!!
You saved me a day of work rewiring the ethernet cable in my apartment.
I followed your directions and everything is working perfectly except the RemoteDVR.
With these instructions you do not need to run cat5 cables or enable the Ethernet ONT FIOS.
This is what I call coax bridge with the Verizon FIOS router. Perfect!!!
Is there any security risks
Is there any security risks to method posted by dieburnbot? Not sure if plugging the Actiontec to my internal network would create a risk.
So far you method worked for me and VOD is working. Thanks.
So I'm about to setup a
So I'm about to setup a linksys wireless router to the fios receiver. when you bridge the actiontec router, does it shut off the built in ethernet ports or just the wifi? im looking to hook up 6 computers and would like to use the wired ports.
fios router
thank you for your kindness in posting this information!!! fios support sucks!
My Verizon router just died.
My Verizon router just died. Verizon support is sending me new equipment but it will take days. In the meantime I have tried plugging the ethernet connection directly into my Linksys WRT54G router but this does not work - my router is set for DHCP but it never gets an IP address (IP address is 0.0.0.0). Verizon support kept going on about how I need to "break the DHCP lease" on my Linksys router, but I don't understand what they mean and they can't explain it worth a darn. Is this the DHCP Release and DHCP Renew options in the router admin? Further, if I hook my computer up directly to the ethernet connection I get an IP address but I have "limited to no connectivity". Anyone have any ideas on how I can use my Linksys router given that my Verizon router crashed and won't come back on? Thanks.
Actiontec and WRT54G sharing the work.
My Goal: Actiontec router handle my wired Ethernet and the STB while the WRT54G handles the wireless which provides me better range.
My setup which works perfectly:
Everything on Actiontec router is default except I turned off the wireless.
I setup a WRT54G router with a static IP of 192.168.5.1, disabled the DHCP server and set my wireless SSID, channel and security for the wireless.
I plugged port 1 of Actiontec into port 1 of the WRT54G.
That's it....
I now have the Actiontec wired to:
My Desktop
WRT54G Router
Xbox 360
Canon Printer
Connected wirelessly via WRT54G:
My son's Desktop
My Laptop
My son's Wii
Thanks... any clue on incoming connections
Thanks for your very easy to follow directions. I got this up and running in less than 20 min. However, it seems all my incoming connections are being blocked (I have a Remote Desktop server). My 3rd party router didn't change (Linksys WRT54GL with dd-wrt v24) so I have to believe it has something to do with the ActionTec. Any ideas?
actiontec and WRT54G problems - help!
Ok, I got Verizon FIOS about a year ago and was setup with the Actiontec router. Worked fine, but I found that the signal on different floors dropped significantly. A friend suggested buying the WRT54G and connecting it to the Actiontec as described. After some trials we got it working and the wifi signal was improved. Now, to the issues....occasionally, a few times a week, the wireless portion of the internet will stop working. I have to unplug the WRT54G, plug it back in and the system is back up. I've learned to live with that. However, just a couple days ago, I bought Taxcut 2008 and was not able to connect to the internet via when trying to e-file. It keeps telling me it can't find an internet connection. I tried everything suggested including shutting down my Trend Micro firewall completely, no luck. Windows XP firewall is diabled. Then my wife mentioned that she can't get to certain websites that she used to be able to get to on her laptop. My son has complained that the PS3 has connection issues now too!
I am not sure what to do. I thought of removing the Linksys and going back to the Actiontec. Maybe upgrading the firmware of both the Actiontec and Linksys may help....?
Anyway, it's all very frustrating especially since I'm no expert.
Can anyone help?
Got it working! Thanks!
I just wanted to thank you for posting this really helpful article. When we switched to Verizon FIOS, it "broke" some of our home networking - file and printer sharing stopped working (where they were working before) and I couldn't get Back to my Mac to work. Verizon support basically threw up their hands and said that it wasn't their problem. Using the instructions above I was able to take the stupid Actiontec router out of the picture!
I did have some trouble getting it to work initially. I did everything as instructed, but the router just couldn't seem to get an IP address. After tearing my hair out for a while, I disconnected the Netgear router from the Actiontec and plugged my computer back in to the Actiontec router, with the intention of backing back out. When I rebooted my computer, though, it immediately picked up an external (not 192.168) IP address, which made me fairly certain that the bridging was working. I thought maybe the problem was with the Netgear router, so I tried a different router and was able to get it working fine!
It looks like this is an older post, so I don't know if you ever check back here. But if you do, I wanted to tell you that it's still helpful and to thank you for posting such clear, detailed instructions!
Worked perfectly
Thank you for posting this. I had a pretty good idea what to do, but I'm sure I would have missed something, or performed a change I didn't need to make, and you saved me a whole lot of troubleshooting.
THANK U!!!
WOW THANK GOD PEOPLE LIKE U EXIST!! IM SOOOOO HAPPY I CANT EXPRESS IT!!! VERY PRECISE DIRECTIONS BTW... THANK U ONCE AGAIN!
i have static ip did'nt work for me
any ide?
The simplest way I could make this work...
...with my Actiontec MI-424WR (using Ethernet WAN) and Linksys WRT54GL running Tomato was to log in to the Actiontec, release the Ethernet WAN IP, immediately change to No IP, confirm settings, note the Actiontec Ethernet WAN MAC (the sticker on the Actiontec only listed the Coax WAN MAC) power down the Actiontec, clone the Actiontec Ethernet WAN MAC on to my Linksys, power cycle that, then plug the Linksys into the ONT Ethernet.
Also, sheyd -- I've only done it once at work, but where we have a static IP with FIOS, I just set that IP on the router's WAN interface and plugged it in -- no special tricks needed. I will say that Verizon apparently rebooted/reconfigured my work ONT beforehand, so that the WAN DHCP Client on the router was not getting anything by the time I applied the static IP on my side.
Based on all the descriptions and my own experience, it seems like if you are being served DHCP by FIOS, you have to clone the MAC or bridge the connection from the Actiontec to your own router (good luck getting FIOS tech support to somehow pull the strings on their end so they are serving DHCP to something other than the Actiontec MAC -- they will just go into "script zombie" mode and tell you about 10 times in their script zombie voice that they "don't support customer equipment" even though they are the ones causing the undesirable behavior by ignoring typical network configurations) or else it just won't work. If you have a static IP, applying all settings correctly should "just work."
Ditto...just did this due to
Ditto...just did this due to Netflix streaming issues. Followed steps above except I had ethernet direct to Actiontec so just released, said no IP, hooked up Linksys, cloned the MAC, and it renewed.
Note...no TV service here.
All set posting this with no Actiontec in the action. P)
Thanks for the original post!
Follow-up... The only issue
Follow-up...
The only issue seems to be my upload dropped to 1/3 with the Linksys WRT54G (latest firmware for my model) vs with the Actiontec. Download has stayed the same. I may swap it out to test...
One more recommendation - I
One more recommendation - I have a v2 WRT54G - relatively old. I needed to turn off the router firewall in order to achieve similar upload speeds to the Actiontec.
LinkSys WAP54G
I have a Linksys WAP 54G wireless access point and want to do the same - my actiontec range is terrible and want to control through the Linksys - can I do this like above or do I need to have a an actual router like the WRT54G?
Verizon will replace the
Verizon will replace the coax cable with an
ethernet cable. If you have been having
problems with their ActionTec router you
should be able to get it done free of cost.
Then you can use a router of your choice
such as a wired D-Link DGL-4100 which
is about $75 after rebate at newegg.com
currently.
If you have FIOS TV, ActionTec router
from Verizon is still needed to work with
their set-top box.
Fios Before Actiontec
I got fios internet and tv from verizon before they started using the actiontec routers. I was a very early customer, from before they even had residential installers trained, (they used the business class guys for a while). My install was a straight ethernet cable to the free router (belkin) router they gave me. There is a separate very small motorola box that you plug coax into and then patch its ethernet to one of the router lan ports. TV boxes got the info they needed from the motorola box through the coax, the motorola box talked out to verizon through the belkin router. life was good, until...
The belkin router started getting flakey. At first it was my wife complaining about lost wireless (adapter repair fixed it), then no connectivity with wireless (reboot the router fixed it), then I started having the problems on my laptop and it went downhill fast, when I could no longer play xbox live across wireless I ran out and bought a linksys to replace the belkin. once again life was good, until...
Internet started working great, no more lost connections, two days later I hear, "Why can't i get to on demand" I'll cut to the chase, here.
In this config I cloned the mac from the belkin, then changed the linksys dhcp to give out addresses in the 192.168.2 range. unplug dvr box, unplug motorola box, turn motorola box on, wait 2 min, turn on dvr box. Woo hoo linksys no actiontec with on demand and widgets
Westell Verizon Fios Router
Will the intructions to bridge the new Westell router be the same. On the West Coast they have migrated to the Westell A90-9100EM15-10 router. My Actiontec failed and all was fine. With the new install my Sonicwall VPN will not connect to work. The office IT guy suggested making my Verizon router "transparent" and stick with my Linksys. Any thoughts...............
Have you found anything on
Have you found anything on this. I just bought a Linksys E3000 and I can't get it to work with my Fios router. Any help would be awesome.
related my wireless laptops not seeing my new print server?
If I am way off-topic, please forgive... and perhaps steer me in right direction?
Installed a DLink DPR-1260 print server on my home network.
It's CAT-5'd to my Verizon Fios Actiontec router (192.168.1.1).
My two cabled desktops (one Vista, one XP Pro-SP2) can see it and print through it.
My two wireless laptops (one Vista, one XP Home -SP2) cannot see it.
My router reports 3 devices Ethernet, 3 Coax (tv boxes), and two wireless--all present and accounted for!
I am guessing the two laptops cannot see the print server because it's cabled to the Actiontec through a LAN port. Here's the thing: When I disconnect the cable, they still can't see it.
Now I did have acouple of moments in the 12 hours or so I've wasted on this where the laptops could see and could print. But I either added a third laptop to the network or rebooted the router and when it came back up, the connections had disappeared.
My research has led me to define my home network to a range of 192.168.1.1 thru 192.168.1.150. My two deskopts take IP 2 and 3, my laptops take 4 & 5, and the coax's take 101, 102 and 103. I've assigned the print server a static IP of 150, the last allowable in the range.
And when I pull the cable, the wireless laptops still don't see the print server.
Am wondering whether I need to create "bridges" beteween the Ethernet and Wireless sides of the Actiontec router. And then how to do. Or do I need to move Actiontec router "out of the way" and install my own, as along the lines of steps 1-22 above?
Thank you for whatever guidance you can suggest.
TurgidOne
MY IE IS NOT WORKING BUT MY ROUTER IS
I HAVE A WIRELESS CONNECTION ON A LAPTOP, AND MY WIRELESS IS WORKING PROPERLY...THE PROBLEM IS THAT MY INTERNET EXPLORER IS NOT...
SOMETIMES I AM BROWSING THE INTERNET AND ALL OF A SUDDEN I CLICK SOME LINK OR MAYBE TRY TO OPEN ANOTHER WEBPAGE AND THERE IT GOES...MY IE SAYS THAT IT CANNOT FIND PAGE LIKE IF IT DIDN'T RECEIVE INTERNET CONNECTION, AND TO SOLVE THIS PROBLEM I HAVE TO REBOOT MY WHOLE ROUTER AND DSL RECEIVER IN ORDER TO HAVE INTERNET SERVICE ON IE AGAIN...BUT THEN NOT EVEN 5 MINUTES OF BROWSING...MY IE GOES OFF AGAIN...BUT I SEE MY CONNECTION STATUS AND EVERYTHING IS SO GREEN AND IN EXCELENT STATUS...MY ICONS INDICATE THAT EVERYTHING IS COOL AND RUNNING BUT MY IE IS JUST HAVING TROUBLE KEEPING ITSELF TO THE NET!!!
I TRIED DOWNLOADING AND INSTALLING FIREFOX AND IS JUST THE SAME !@#$%...
AND FOR ONCE... ANOTHER WEIRD STUFF IS THAT MY MSN IS RUNNING COOL...:S I CAN CHAT ETC..ETC...
SO HERE IS THE DIAGNOSE:
DLS: GOOD...
ROUTER: EXCELLENT...
IE: NOT WORKING AFTER SOME MINUTES OF BROWSING...(reboot dsl and router...works good...but not for long :s)
FIREFOX:NOT WORKING...(notice..i installed this guy after i started to have problems with IE)
MSN Messenger: GOOD...
ANYONE FAMILIAR WITH THIS PROBLEM?
Easiest way
this is the easiest way to do it but im not sure if it will block your TV programming...
Connect ur linksys router to ur pc, weather its thru lan or wireless but make sure you disconnect from the verizon router first.
Type 192.168.1.1 (which is the default IP) in ur browser's address bar to access your Linksys router. Your default username/password should be admin/admin
In the main screen tht pops up u will see "Local IP address" , change those numbers to something other than 192.168.1.1 (i changed mine to 192.168.1.200) and DISABLE the DHCP Server in the LINKSYS!!! Save your settings.
Now take an ethernet cable and plug one end into a LAN port on the Verizon router and one end into the LAN port on your Linksys.
Search for your linksys and depending on ur security connect to it and BAM! UR on the net =)
ENJOY!!
(OPTIONAL) connect to your verizon router (192.168.1.1) and on the main page under quick links you will see "change wireless settings" and disable the verizon router from transmitting a wireless signal by turning it off.
The best part about this way is you can still access your verizon router thru your linksys by typing in its IP(192.168.1.1) and directly connect to your linksys also (192.168.1.200), all while only connected to the linksys.... ENJOY!!!!
I did this pretty much the
I did this pretty much the same way, except I left the actiontec wireless on. This way when my primary wireless (Linksys) has a problem and needs resetting - it happens occasionally - my computers automatically switch to the actiontec wlan as a backup. Then when the Linksys comes back up, they rejoin the primary network. Fast and robust.
Anyone see a downside to leaving the actiontec wireless on?
REQUEST THE WESTELL ROUTER
REQUEST THE WESTELL ROUTER THEY ARE AWESOME WITH FUTURE SOFTWARE UPGRADES IPTV HOME SECURITY
I did that by different
I did that by different way
1) I changed the IP of my Linksys router to 192.168.1.2
2) I set the different IP ranges for Linksys (100-150) and Verizon (200-254) to avoid conflicts
3) I disabled the Wireless options for Verizon router
4) I connected Verizon router into Linksys router as and additional device (not in Internet port - in to one of 4 Ethernet port)
As the result now the both routers are available to configure Linksys on 192.168.1.2 and Verizon on 192.168.1.1
5) So, the last step: I configured Default Gateway to 192.168.1.1 on all my computers. That is it.
No any problems with TV service
BTW: I also configured port forwarding and triggering on Verizon router (they were on Linksys router before). No big deal, everything works fine.
Got my Linksys RV016 working with the Verizon router...EASY
Today I just had FIOS installed for all 3 services. I had a Linksys RV016 router already. I found the post above which instructed as per below and I followed it and within 4 minutes I had my favorite router back up and running with full functionality of TV services still intact. I quote from above which stated:
"I found a simplier way to use the Linksys router with FIOS. My main concern was that the Linksys was already set up the way I wanted it. I really wanted the Linksys acting mainly as a wireless access point. Anyway, here's Linksys's suggestion:
Hi... 1st plug a PC directly to the Linksys router alone. Then on this particular PC... open up internet explorer (it's ok if it says "page could not be displayed"... and type on the address bar just the following numbers: 192.168.1.1 (username just leave it blank, password as a default is admin)...
This process should bring you to a Linksys page... look for something labeled as the "Local IP Address" or the LAN IP Address... if the value is 192.168.1.1.. change this to 192.168.5.1... then save the settings... (page would not be displayed after this.. again that's ok).....
Then go to the DOS prompt (start---run---type in cmd) .... and type the command ipconfig/release (hit enter)... and then ipconfig/renew (hit enter).....(note: in MAC this is in Sys Pref)
Next connect the Actiontech router to the internet/WAN port of the Linksys router. Then do a powercycle. That is turn off all of the devices... router - modem and PC's.. then turn them on in the order of modem--routers-and PC's.......
After this process, you should now hopefully be online on the PC connected to the Linksys router.......
I tried this and it worked like a charm. The best part is that it should not cause a problem with FIOS's on demand. The key is that you are changing the Linksys's IP to one that is not within the normal DHCP table for FIOS's router. That avoids a conflict. Don't forget to do an ipconfig/release ipconfig/renew from the command line of each machine connected to the Linksys."
Posted by Specba (not verified) on Sun, 2008-09-14 14:37
Worked for me.....
Thanks for your help on this! I was going nuts. After buying a brand new laptop my connection was intermittently dropping off when using the ActionTek access point. I took the basic approach of just turning off the wireless on the actiontek, and then disabling the dhcp on the linksys. It took a little while but the wireless on my laptop is now working like a charm.
From Dans post above:
First, I reset the Actiontec router to the default verizon settings, as if they had just installed it, then I accessed that and shut off the wireless feature.
Then I plugged an ethernet cord into port 1 and plugged the other end of that into port 1 of my wrt54g. (not wan, not uplink)
I then accessed the linksys settings, changed the IP to 192.168.1.2, disabled the dhcp server,
and voila, the linksys is bridged to the actiontec! all the directtv features like on demand will still work and you can setup your wireless however you like on your trusty linksys
remember, do it the agaric way...
Post new comment